Get out the vote!

Written By: - Date published: 10:24 am, August 11th, 2014 - 3 comments
Categories: democratic participation, election 2014, Left - Tags:

A tweet from Philip Lyth states:

In 7 days, total enrolled voters has climbed 11,021 to now be 89.17% of (estimated) eligible. http://www.elections.org.nz/research-statistics/enrolment-statistics-electorate …

Vote2

The Stats on election.org.nz, show that:

18-29 yr olds enrolled: 535394 = 17% of people enrolled
18-29 yr olds not enrolled: 206646 = 56% of not enrolled.

18-24 yr olds not enrolled – 132,496 = 36% of people not enrolled

in 2011, NZ Parliament report shows:

Of the estimated 3.3 million people eligible to vote, 93.7% were enrolled – one of the highest enrolment rates in the world (enrolment is compulsory in New Zealand). This is somewhat lower when compared to the 95.3% of voters who were enrolled in 2008.

Although eligible voters aged 18-24 years represent 13% of the total voting age population, this age group accounted for nearly half (47%) of the total who were not enrolled for the 2011 election.

Voter turnout for the 2011 election was the lowest in percentage terms of any MMP elections to date: a provisional 73.8% of enrolled voters cast a vote in the 2011 General Election. This compares with the final 79.5% overall turnout of those enrolled in 2008.

Good work by people encouraging people to enroll – more work to be done in the lead up to the election.  Get more people enrolled, but also encourage more people to VOTE!

Information about enrolling here.

You can go to a public library or post office to get enrollment forms to be completed and posted.

Or, you can enroll using some digital and online capabilities – information here.

Options for enrolling here.

And for a fairer, more inclusive, sustainable NZ- one that will provide a safe and livable society for all New Zealanders, now and in the future:

VOTE LEFT!

vote left 2014

3 comments on “Get out the vote! ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. Sanctuary 1
    11 August 2014 at 11:47 am

    My godson and nephew, who is a non-political lad at one of the most expensive boarding schools in NZ and has had a right royal provincial red neck as a step father for the last ten years, tells me him and some mates “joined up” with the Internet Party. Mainly for the party, I suspect but still…

    Apart from a moment of quiet triumph at my victory in my propaganda war with his step dad, he says lots of his peers are interested in the IMP, and are following it in the media and are generally delighted everytime it kicks the pricks.

    Anecdote, I know but still…

    His sister (my God daughter) joined Labour at university this year, so my triumph is complete. All those years of nurturing have paid off!

  2. Tracey 2
    11 August 2014 at 12:04 pm

    I had four forms each sent to my nephews who tell me they completed them and gave others to their friends. I emailed my students the link to enrol online. No political comments made. Just said register and vote.

  3. Jan Rivers 3
    11 August 2014 at 11:22 pm

    This low level of enrollment is a largely unremarked NZ disgrace. The enrollment level at 89.17 % of voters 5 weeks out from the election is 4.5% lower than on election day in 2011 and 6% lower than in 2008. At both those elections approximately only about 1.7%-of the total eligible population (or about 56,000 people) came on to the roll in the 4 weeks between Writ Day and the election.

    To reach the same level of enrollment as at the 2011 election people will need to be enrolling now at three times the rate that they enrolled in 2011 in the month before the election (or at four times the rate to meet the 2008 enrollment level).

    Whether it is politicians using scare and smear tactics, the main stream media focusing on personality rather than policy or a loss of institutional memory or capacity in the Electoral Commission following the wholesale re-organisation in 2011/12 the lower levels of enrollment this represents a significant failure of New Zealand’s democracy.

    Although there is a huge volunteer effort in the shape of RockEnrol, Get Out the Vote and other programmes I believe that the responsibility lies with government to run an effective electoral enrollment system and it has failed us with successively lower enrollment levels at each of the last three elections.

    Notes
    The information about the 2011 election is here http://www.elections.org.nz/events/past-events-0/2011-general-election/reports-and-surveys-2011-general-election/electoral
    (4.5% of the eligible population is about 150,000 people and 6% about 200,000 of the total of eligible voters).

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